West Norriton police investigating threatening letter sent to Whitehall Elementary

WEST NORRITON — School and police officials confirmed that a threatening letter was sent to Whitehall Elementary School from an occupant in a correctional institution on Tuesday morning.

“We can confirm that a letter was sent to the school,” said West Norriton police Chief Dale Mabry. “We can also say that the writer of the letter is currently incarcerated, so the likelihood of him doing anything at this point is obviously extremely low.”

Although the sender of the letter is currently incarcerated, the matter is still being investigated by the West Norriton police department and, as a result, Mabry was unable to reveal the contents of the letter.

According to Janet Samuels, the superintendent of the Norristown Area School District, once the letter was received, police were notified and the district informed parents of the situation.

“We take the safety of our students and staff members very seriously. It’s a top priority,” she said. “Our goal is to keep our staff members and our parents informed as part of our safety protocol.”

After a brief investigation at the scene, it was determined that there was “no eminent danger or concern,” according to Samuels and the school day, which had been scheduled as an early dismissal day for students, went on as planned.